Basita Michael Demands Transparency in Sierra Leone’s Citizenship by Investment Scheme

By Mohamed Kargbo

Prominent lawyer and former Sierra Leone Bar Association president, Basita Michael, has raised serious concerns over reports of a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme quietly operating in Sierra Leone. In a widely shared Facebook post, she questioned the legality, transparency, and accountability of the initiative, which appears to have already granted citizenship to some American nationals.

“What is shocking,” she wrote, “is that there has been no government announcement, no parliamentary debate, and no published guidelines. The programme seems to have crept into existence in complete silence.”

Michael highlighted the contrast between the difficulties ordinary Sierra Leoneans face securing visas abroad and the ease with which wealthy foreigners reportedly receive citizenship, calling it “a double standard offensive to ordinary citizens.”

She posed a series of critical questions: Was there public or parliamentary consultation before the launch? Who authorised the scheme, and under what legal framework? Where are the legal notices, regulations, or policy documents? Who are the beneficiaries, and how were they vetted? How are funds being managed, and what investments benefit the broader population?

Michael warned that, in a period when Sierra Leone faces international scrutiny for financial crimes and drug trafficking, a poorly managed CBI scheme could turn the country into “a haven for money launderers, fugitives, and opportunists seeking to bypass global checks.”

While acknowledging that citizenship-by-investment programmes can boost economic growth if properly managed, she insisted that Sierra Leone’s version “looks more like a cash grab than a genuine development strategy” due to the lack of oversight.

She urged the government to disclose the programme’s legal basis, publish beneficiary details and investments, subject the scheme to parliamentary scrutiny, and commission independent audits of financial flows.

“Anything less,” Michael concluded, “feeds the suspicion that this is not about national growth but about enriching a few behind closed doors.” So far, the government has not issued any official response.